This week the posts that you read are from guest blogger Richelle Bronsdon. Richelle is the Communications Associate for Grant Memorial.
We’ve reached the end of another week of reading through the Bible together. It seems somehow appropriate that “in the ongoing flow of the book of Isaiah, we are here reaching the end of the predominantly negative section of the prophecy” (ESV Literary Study Bible). With chapter 40 comes a transition in the text, from words of judgment to words of comfort. Isaiah now goes on to talk about the restoration after the exile, and speaks of the Messiah and the final deliverance from oppression, an “eschatological vision of a coming golden age” (ibid).
Since it is Friday, I thought I’d change the pace a bit and share a few of my favourite Bible-reading activities that you might want to try out on today’s passages. The first I affectionately refer to as a “scriptural scavenger hunt” (did I mention I used to work in youth ministry?). All you need is a reference Bible – the kind with a tiny column of verse listings down the middle – or a study Bible with references. Start with a word or idea that appeals to you, and follow the references throughout the Bible. For example, with the phrase “Be strong, do not fear” (35:4), I find a reference that takes me to Joshua 1:9, then on to Deuteronomy 1:21, and so on. It’s an interesting way to pull out themes within a book, or get a glimpse at how the different books of the Bible work together to tell a bigger story.
The idea for my second Bible-reading activity was, quite literally, given to me by a friend. I was flipping through a book I had borrowed from her, when an index card with a handwritten note fell out. On one side was a note: “May your pleasure in reading this be glorifying to God, and may He reveal some of Himself to you through it. Bless you!” On the back, my friend had taken a short passage from Isaiah 43 and placed my name into the text: “But now, this is what the Lord says – He who created you, O Richelle, He who formed you, O beloved: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’” I’ve held on to that index card for nearly a decade, and each time I use it as a bookmark, I find myself flipping in my Bible to read that chapter of Isaiah again. Is there a passage you’d like to use to encourage or challenge one of your siblings in Christ?
The last activity I’ve borrowed from Susan Moore, Grant’s Resource Coordinator, who recently led us in a staff devotional time. She started by having us pair off and attempt to describe ourselves, in only a few minutes, and without saying things like “I’m a graphic designer” or “I’m a mom.” Then she read Isaiah 40 aloud, while we made note of the ways God describes himself in the chapter. Why not take a moment and try it yourself (or with a friend)? Read the passage aloud (or listen to it here) and jot down the characteristics that jump out at you. Then perhaps you’d like to spend some time in prayer, talking to God about what you read and thanking Him for revealing Himself through His Word.
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